A self-directed reading plan and study guide for people that are new to the Bible and want to learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Foreword

Most people that are new to the Bible approach it like any other book that they read—they start at the beginning and read linearly through to the end. However, this often leads to frustration because a linear reading approach does not readily facilitate an understanding of the Bible as you are reading it. The Basics of the Bible study guide takes a different approach by studying the books of the Bible in a non-sequential order, which more readily allows the big picture of the Bible to emerge. Basics of the Bible study guide is the resource that launched the basicsofthebible.org website, and is available in slide format, and eBook readers including ePub format and Kindle format (download, unzip and transfer to Kindle reader). A compact print version on legal size paper is also available.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Welcome.
This course is designed for the person that wants to learn what it means to
become or be a follower of Jesus. Many people that seek this knowledge realize
that the Bible is where they must look, but have been hampered in their quest
for one reason or another (e.g. intimidated by the size of the Bible, don't
know where to begin, tried to read the Bible but couldn't make sense of it, got
discouraged, etc.).

This is a self-directed
study to assist you in your quest for answers. It is intended to take
you rapidly through select books of the Bible to give you a "big picture" overview of what it means to be or
become a follower of Jesus, and to become familiarized with the Bible—which is the
definitive handbook for those who want to follow Jesus. For maximum benefit,
plan on spending about 30 minutes every day
for the next few weeks.

The course consists of two parts: the first covers the basics and can be
completed in two weeks. The second part "digs deeper" into the Bible and takes
an additional five weeks of daily reading. This study lays the basic foundation
for understanding the Bible and what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

After completing this course, you will be equipped, empowered and excited
to continue your study of the Bible.

The Non-Sequential Reading Approach

Most people that are new to the
Bible approach it like any other book that they read—they start at the
beginning and read linearly through to the end.

However, this often leads to
frustration because a linear reading approach does not readily facilitate an
understanding of the Bible as you are reading it.
This course takes a different approach by taking you through books of the Bible
in a non-sequential order. As such, this
facilitates a greater understanding of the
big picture of the Bible as you are reading it—that is, as you progress through
the daily reading schedule, you will understand more and more what the Bible is
saying.

Getting Started

You will need a Bible and a pencil
or highlighter.

It is not necessary to buy a study
version of the Bible for this course, but you may find it beneficial in the
long term to start this course using a study Bible. If English is your native
language*, choose a modern Bible translation—NIV, NRSV, NASB, ESV and NKJV are
all excellent choices—but avoid paraphrase versions for this study. (Paraphrase
versions are excellent for getting a different perspective on a word in the
original Greek or Hebrew text, but this type of study should be saved for later
in your journey.)

*Generally,
you'll understand the Bible best in your first language, so feel free to use
that translation if it is available in your native tongue. If you are
bilingual, use the language with which you are most comfortable

The Importance of Daily Reading

Carve out time each day to complete the readings.

This course requires about 20-40 minutes of focused, uninterrupted
daily reading. Every day before you begin reading, pray to God asking
that the Holy Spirit would give you insight and understanding into what you are
about to read.

Read the Bible selection as quickly as you can without skimming or speed
reading (if you have a study Bible, do not stop to read the commentary notes,
or do so only sparingly). If you notice a verse of interest, highlight it or
underline it with a pencil, but do not stop to
contemplate at this point in time yet (instructions will be given at the end of
the course on how to read the Bible contemplatively and how to effectively use
study Bibles and other commentaries).

It is important to read every day—missing a day or two will make it
more difficult to remember where you left off and will also make it harder for
you to develop a "big picture" view of the Bible.

The Bible at a Glance

The Bible consists of the Hebrew and Greek
Scriptures.

The Hebrew
Scriptures contain 39 books written by many
different authors over a one thousand year period, between approximately
1400-400 BC. Except for a few sections, it is written entirely in Hebrew. A
more detailed description of the Hebrew Scriptures is included later in this
study, but for the purposes of this introduction, it is sufficient to summarize
that the Hebrew Scriptures as a whole tell of a special and unique task that
the Creator God gave to the descendants of a man named Abraham—the Israelites. The purpose of this task was that
the Israelites were "commissioned" to tell all the other people of the world
about the Creator God. The Hebrew Scriptures
contain many references of the coming of a Messiah (which is the Hebrew
word for savior or rescuer).

The Greek Scriptures
contain 27 books, also written by several
different authors over a period of approximately 50 years, around 40-90 AD. The
Greek Scriptures show how the Creator God entered into history by becoming a
human, fulfilling what was written in the Hebrew Scriptures about the coming Messiah (Savior). The Messiah is a descendant of
Abraham named Yeshua (Joshua), or as translated in English, Jesus. The Greek word for Messiah is Christos,
from which the title Christ is
derived. Today, we put the name and title together: Jesus (the) Christ.

Bible Structure and Timeline

Old Testament Structure and Timeline

New Testament Structure and Timeline

Navigating the Bible: Chapters and Verses

The Bible is numbered so that it is easy to navigate and find a
particular passage.

Most of the books are divided into chapters (a few of the smallest books have a
single un-numbered chapter), and each chapter in turn is divided into verses. A verse is typically one or two sentences.
Even those that are unfamiliar with the Bible have probably heard someone quote
or refer to John 3:16. This means the book of John, chapter 3, verse 16. When looking up
books in the Bible, refer to the table of contents. In this example, the book
of John, or the Gospel of John as it is known by its longer title, is
located toward the back of the Bible. Once you locate John, flip through a
couple of pages until you reach chapter 3. In most Bibles, the font size of the
chapter number is much larger than the rest of the text whereas the verse
number is a small superscript number embedded within the text itself. See examples:

Genesis 1:111In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 3:1616For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Part 1: The Basics

The Basics covers three
books from the Greek Scriptures (commonly referred to as the New Testament) and a portion of the first book of
the Hebrew Scriptures (commonly referred to as the Old Testament):

Mark

1st letter of John*

Genesis 1-11

Romans

*Not to be
confused with the Gospel of John; the 1st letter of John is located near the
end of the Bible

The Basics: Big
Picture Summary

Mark: a fast-paced and
vivid account of the life, death and resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus
Christ). Written by a disciple of Jesus named John Mark.

1st John: the
most succinct and eloquent writing in the entire Bible on the loving aspect of
our Heavenly Father, the Creator God. Written by John the son of Zebedee, one
of Jesus' closest and most beloved disciples.

Genesis 1-11: a big
picture summary of creation and the aftermath of mankind's rebellion against
the Creator God. This portion of the Bible forms the foundation for
understanding the entire Bible.

Romans: a profound and
stunningly clear description of the depravity of mankind and how to be
reconciled with the Creator God through faith in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus
Christ). Written by Paul, the first missionary to Asia Minor (modern day
Turkey) and Greece.

Week 1:

Week 2:

Day 8: Genesis 4-5

Day 9: Genesis 6-8

Day 10: Genesis 9-11

Day 11: Romans 1-4

Day 12: Romans 5-8

Day 13: Romans 9-12

Day 14: Romans 13-16

Day 1: Mark 1-4

Focus point: Mark 2:1-12

I can
tell someone that I forgive them of their sins—all of their sins, mind
you, not just the ones they may have committed against me personally. It would be
bold and presumptuous of me to make such a claim, but nevertheless, I could
still say this to someone and no one could prove one way or the other if my
announcement actually worked or not. That is because there isn't any obvious or
visible sign that proves whether or not I actually had the power and ability to
remove their sins—they would look just the same as they did before I made my audacious announcement.

Here, Jesus
provides the physical evidence to His claim that He (and He alone) has
the ability to forgive sins. First, He says to the paralytic that the man's
sins are forgiven, but then Jesus goes on to actually prove it—He connects His words of forgiveness with His words of
healing. The paralytic is instantly cured—Jesus used His words to show
His power over disease, the man was healed; therefore His words of healing must
be true. Jesus used His words to state that He can forgive sins; likewise these
words must also be true.

Do you see the striking difference
between my claim to have the power to forgive sins (in which I provide no
proof), and Jesus' claim to have the power to forgive sins (in which He
provides spectacular proof)?

Day 2: Mark 5-8

Focus point: Mark 8:31-38

This passage introduces a theme that you will see throughout
all four gospel accounts—before Jesus' death and resurrection, the disciples completely misunderstood the purpose and
intent of Jesus' plan. They thought that Jesus came as a
conqueror-king that would deliver the oppressed Israelites out of the hands of
the foreign rulers (Rome).

This is why Peter "rebuked" Jesus
here—Peter is essentially saying, "Jesus, that's crazy talk—you're here to
deliver us, not sacrifice yourself—let me remind you of the game plan…."Jesus must correct Peter (and not for the last
time!) and remind him of the true game plan—that Jesus came to usher in a new kingdom, the Kingdom of God—a
kingdom that looks completely different from our worldly ideas of a kingdom.

Keep this thought in mind as you
read through the gospel accounts and it will help you understand a great deal
of the "confusing" things that Jesus said to His disciples—it sounds confusing
to us because we have the same incorrect mindset that Peter had.

Day 3: Mark 9-12

Focus point: Mark 12:28-34

The modern equivalent to a scribe
would be a Bible scholar or Theology professor—one who studies the Scriptures
in the original language and knows it inside and out. Isn't it curious that a
scribe is asking Jesus what commandment is the most important? The scribe is
referring to the Torah, which is the first
five books of the Bible—today we call this the "Law." In Hebrew, torah
simply means "instruction."

We will get to a study of the Law
later, but for the purposes of understanding this passage, there are hundreds of laws and instructions described in the
Torah, so the scribe is asking: which of these is most important? It is likely that the scribe was
hoping to trip Jesus up and get Him to say something inconsistent or to say
something that could easily be proven wrong (after all, he had a Ph.D. in the
Scriptures). Instead, Jesus condenses and summarizes all of the Law into two commandments: it's all about your relationship with God as highest priority,
and your relationship with fellow humans as
second priority. Everything else—all the detailed rules that you read about in
the Law—fall naturally into place if you have these two commandments in the
right priority.

You can see the transforming power
of Jesus right here in this passage—the scribe had hoped to trick Jesus, but
instead was completely convinced and changed by Jesus' answer to his question.

Day 4: Mark 13-16

Focus point: Mark 14:53-65

The religious leaders were looking
for a way to lawfully have Jesus put to death and rid themselves of Jesus' meddling
in their territory, so to speak. In verse 58, an accusation is made that Jesus
used magic or sorcery as His source of power, which was an act punishable by
death according to the Law. But the accusation didn't stick because of
conflicting testimony. The chief priest must then "ratchet" things up a notch,
and hopes to trap Jesus in blasphemy—claiming to be God or equal to God—an act also punishable by death. Now, instead of the
conflicting testimony of the false witnesses, Jesus
Himself answers the chief priest's question (much to the delight of the chief
priest, for this is exactly the claim he was hoping Jesus would make)—Jesus confirms that He is the Messiah. This sealed
Jesus' fate, for now the council had the "legal" basis for imposing the death
penalty. At that time, since Israel was under the control of Rome, criminals
convicted of capital punishment had to first have the approval of the regional
Roman leader before the sentence could be carried out.

Stop and think about it for a
moment: if Jesus were just an ordinary man (as the council thought), then good
riddance—just another crazy person claiming to be a Messiah (people still claim
this today); but the difference is that Jesus wasn't just another crazy person,
He rose from the dead, proving that He was
indeed the Messiah. No false Messiah has ever done that, they are still in the
grave.

Day 5: 1 John 1-3

Focus point: 1st John 3:1-10

Many people find it unusual or strange that the Bible uses
familial language so often. Many people have an idea that God is a distant,
incomprehensible figure. When we reflect on the scope and size of creation, it
is easy to get this feeling about the Being who brought forth the entire
universe. Yet, John wants to make it clear, using language that we can easily
understand and relate to, that God is like a wonderful
father who pours His love out on us.

As you read this section, try
imagining that you are God's "favorite" child (for the purpose of emphasizing
the point John is making in verse 1) and see what a difference it makes in your
understanding of God's loving character. But also be mindful of the other point
that John is making here—this lavish love is
only for God's children. And just who are
God's children? We find that out in the next chapter.

Day 6: 1 John 4-5

Focus point: 1st John 4:7-16

This is perhaps one of the finest
explanations in the entire Bible about the nature of the relationship that we
can have with our loving Heavenly Father—and the basis
of that relationship is love.

At first glance, it may sound
similar to what many other philosophies and religions say, that one has to
intentionally express love to God and to others and once you do that, you are a
loving person and God is pleased with you. But re-read
verse 10 and notice the striking difference between John's explanation
and that of the "world's" explanation: it is not by us expressing love to God
that brings us into a relationship with Him—it's the other way around! God expresses His love to us, and that is how we
become His children. Most people believe that the "work" has to be done on our
side in order to make us pleasing and acceptable to God. Not so. Isn't it
wonderful that the "work" is done by God and not us—this is one of the reasons
why the gospel, that is, the "Good News"
(for that is what the Greek word gospel means in English) really is good
news.

Now look at verse 15. This verse
answers the question raised yesterday—who are the children of God? Do you now
see how to enter into a relationship with our loving Creator God? It is only by believing in Jesus Christ, our
wonderful Savior!

Day 7: Genesis 1-3

Focus point: Genesis 3:1-13

I can't overemphasize the
importance of this chapter in understanding the rest of the Bible. There are
few chapters in the whole Bible that are as critical. Rather than comment very
much on it, I recommend that you read and re-read this chapter frequently
during The Basics and Dig Deeper studies—there are many other
passages in Scripture that will shed more light and color on what we commonly
refer to as "The Fall"—that is, the fall of mankind from a state of perfection and
grace. We, as descendants of Adam and Eve, no longer have this perfect
fellowship with the Creator God. The rest of the Bible is God's wonderful plan to bring us back into that
fellowship with Him. But as you will discover, the rest of the Bible also shows
how mankind, sadly, repeatedly rejects God's wonderful plan, even to this day.

Day 8: Genesis 4-5

Focus point: Genesis 4:1-12

This passage tells the account of the first murder in the history of mankind. It is
implied, but not explicitly stated, that the reason that Cain's sacrifice was
not pleasing to the Lord is because Cain didn't give the very best of his
harvest but held the best portions back for himself; whereas Abel gave the
choicest portion of his offering. In other words, in Cain's heart, he didn't
put God as the first and highest priority. Today it is no different—we too hold
back the best for ourselves—it is in our very nature.

Day 9: Genesis 6-8

Focus point: Genesis 6:5-8

The depravity
of mankind only further deteriorated since the days of Cain and Abel,
until it was in such a state that God was grieved to the heart—not that God has
a heart like we do, but the author here (tradition states it was Moses) is
using imagery that we can relate to in order to understand how God felt. Stop and think of that for a
moment—God has feelings and emotion, such as grief and pain. That is an astonishing
thought for most people, but it is true. This passage introduces the account of
Noah, who found favor with God and through whom God would remake the world and
re-establish the human race through a catastrophic flood.

Day 10: Genesis 9-11

Focus point: Genesis 11:1-4

The important thing to take note in
this passage is how quickly mankind is back to its self-centered,
self-sufficient ways. In verse 3, notice how industrious
and hard-working the people are here
and that their goals are self-aggrandizement ("make a name for ourselves").
Sadly, there is little difference between the people today and those described
here. Like them, we feel that we don't need God,
we can do it ourselves.

It may sound strange or
counter-intuitive, but it was actually an act of mercy that God dispersed the
people and confused the languages—had the people been allowed to continue on in
their quest for independence, no one would have been left who even remembered
God. By dispersing the people, God was able to isolate a particular man from
which He was going to build a whole nation
of people that would tell the rest of the world about the wonderful
Creator God.

We will return to this point in history in
the Dig Deeper lesson, but first, we need to get additional background
material to make better sense of this special people.

Day 11: Romans 1-4

Focus point: Romans 1:18-20

Paul is saying here that it's no
use to plead ignorance—you can't show up
before the throne of God and say, "Oh, sorry, I didn't know you existed…you
should have made yourself more obvious." God has left all of creation as a testimony to His existence.

Re-read verse
18 to see what Paul says about people that attempt to feign ignorance—he
says that someone who does this is a wicked person who suppresses the
truth. Have you ever known someone that failed to see something about themselves
but it was obvious to everyone else? Maybe it was a problem they had, some
compulsion such as overspending, overeating, alcohol addiction or repeatedly
making bad relationship decisions. Don't you feel a little bit of pity for
them—they can't or won't see something that is plain to everyone else around
them. Now amplify that ignorance—actually, it's not true ignorance but a suppression of reality—on a much grander scale.
Let say, the size of the universe—for that is how large of a witness there is
to the Creator God—how foolish would it seem for a person to continue to deny
the existence of God? Paul would say that it would be foolishness to the point
of wickedness.

Day 12: Romans 5-8

Focus point: Romans 8:1-4

This section of Romans contains one
of the most lucid and sobering descriptions of mankind's disposition towards evil. As we read through
chapters 5-7, we are struck to the heart because we feel that Paul is not
describing himself but instead has somehow gotten into our heads and discovered
the deepest secrets about ourselves that we have kept hidden from everyone else.

Try this exercise, re-read Romans
7:7-25. At the end of verse 25, stop and breathe a heavy sigh of relief—imagine
that you've just finishing running a marathon and are so glad and relieved that
it is over. Then immediately read Romans 8:1-4. This passage is a breath of fresh air—imagine it, the heaviness of
sin (like a grueling marathon), and then the lightness and freedom of being
done with it—forever! That is how you should
feel as you read through Romans 8, light as a feather through your new-found freedom in Jesus Christ.

Day 13: Romans 9-12

Focus point: Romans 10:9-13

Re-read Romans 10:13 and let the
words sink into your ears, your heart, your very being. Isn't it wonderful to know that this
is a promise from God that we can bank on and trust in? This is an excellent
passage to memorize so that you can recall it anytime you need a burst of
wonder at the amazing promises that our Creator God has given to us.

But just who
is the "Lord" that Paul is referring to in this passage? In today's
culture, it is very common to say or believe that there are many ways to "call
on the name of the Lord" and that in essence, all the various religions are
just different ways to the same God. But are they really? Is the Lord that Paul
is describing here the same that our pluralistic society today defines? For the
answer, we have to go back a couple sentences to verses 9-11. Here in these
verses, who does Paul say is the "Lord" that
is able to deliver on the promise given in verse 13? With that answer in mind,
you may also want to memorize these verses as well.

Day 14: Romans 13-16

Focus point: Romans 13:8-14

In Romans, you have heard Paul
refer to the "Law" on many occasions. Just
what is this Law that he keeps referring to? To answer that question will
require more background reading in the Bible—in fact, we won't get to a
detailed study of the Law until after we finish the Dig
Deeper section. But for purposes of getting a big picture overview
of the Law, this section of Romans provides one of the best summaries in the
entire Bible. Keep this overview of the Law in mind as you continue your study
through the Bible, so that when you finally do read about the Law (which is
quite comprehensive), you will not "get lost" or mired in the details of the
Law. You can refer back here to Paul's summary in order to keep you grounded in
understanding the true and underlying intention of
God when He gave the Law to the Israelites. In Paul's masterful way of
expressing ideas, he introduces, or rather reminds us that the ultimate purpose of the Law is to lead us into love, which should sound very
familiar to what you just recently read in the 1st Letter of John.

The Basics: Stop and Take a Look Back

Even though we've only read a
little over three books of the Bible (out of a total of 66), you should already
be getting the sense that the Bible "answers itself." That is, the various
books of the Bible, even though they are written by many different authors in
many different places and time periods, are harmonious
and complementary to one another. Or
perhaps a better way to put it is that the Bible contains the answers to many
of the perplexing questions we have about life—if we are willing to invest the time to search for the answers and be
open to listening to what God is saying to us through the words of the Bible.
This is one of the main goals of the first section of this course—recognizing
that when questions "come up" as we read through the Bible, the answers are
ultimately found in other passages of the Bible itself. This is why we said at
the beginning of this course that we can understand the Bible better and better
as we are reading it.

As you continue your journey
through the Dig Deeper study, keep this in mind—in fact, knowing that
the answers to your questions might be "just around
the corner" makes it very exciting to read through the Bible and you
will find yourself not wanting to put it down!

Part 2: Dig Deeper

The Dig Deeper study
continues building on the readings from The Basics study. Again, the
emphasis is on selected books from the Greek Scriptures (New Testament) and you will also
finish the book of Genesis from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament):

Luke

Acts

Ephesians

Genesis 12-50

Gospel of John

Matthew 28

Dig Deeper: Big Picture Summary

Luke: the most detailed
account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Noted for numerous
historical references and attention to detail. Written by Luke, a Greek
physician and co-worker of Paul.

Acts: also written by
Luke, which chronicles the work of the first apostles after Jesus gave them His
Great Commission (see below). The work of many apostles and co-workers
are detailed, but particular emphasis is paid to the missionary work of Peter
and Paul.

Ephesians: a succinct
letter from Paul to the believers in Ephesus explaining the victorious life
that we can have as followers of Jesus.

Genesis 12-50: detailed
account of the Creator God's special relationship with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob—the forbearers of the nation of Israel.

Gospel of John: like 1st
John, an eloquent and profoundly moving account of the life, death and
resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ).

Matthew 28: the Great
Commission that Jesus gave his followers—these instructions are the most
important and highest priority task of those who follow Jesus.

More Background for the Dig Deeper Study

By now you have a basic
understanding not only of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, but also a
better idea of the underlying reasons for His Life:
to come as the Messiah, ushering in a new kingdom of Life and conquering
the old kingdom of Death. Death: to die on
our behalf in payment for our sin—because we are incapable of paying that debt
ourselves. Resurrection: to defeat death and
leave a testimony in the historical record about the validity of His claim to
have conquered sin and death.

In the Dig Deeper study, we
will do just that—dig deeper into the Bible to discover more and more about our
wonderful Savior and God. We will learn about what the first witnesses of
Jesus' resurrection did and how they shared and spread the "Good News" to
people in Africa, Asia and Europe. In the middle of the study, we'll revisit
the book of Genesis in the Hebrew Scriptures to learn the fascinating
background of the patriarchs of the Israelite people—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Then we'll return to the Greek Scriptures to read the stunningly moving account
of Jesus by John, one of Jesus' closest disciples. We will then finish with the
last chapter of Matthew's Gospel, to learn about the most important command of
Jesus to all those that follow Him.

Dig Deeper Reading Schedule

Week 3

Day 15: Luke 1-4

Day 16: Luke 5-8

Day 17: Luke 9-12

Day 18: Luke 13-16

Day 19: Luke 17-20

Day 20: Luke 21-24

Day 21: Acts 1-4

Week 4

Day 22: Acts 5-8

Day 23: Acts 9-12

Day 24: Acts 13-16

Day 25: Acts 17-20

Day 26: Acts 21-24

Day 27: Acts 25-28

Day 28: Ephesians 1-3

Week 5

Day 29: Ephesians 4-6

Day 30: Genesis 12-14

Day 31: Genesis 15-17

Day 32: Genesis 18-20

Day 33: Genesis 21-23

Day 34: Genesis 24-26

Day 35: Genesis 27-29

Week 6

Day 36: Genesis 30-32

Day 37: Genesis 33-35

Day 38: Genesis 36-38

Day 39: Genesis 39-41

Day 40: Genesis 42-44

Day 41: Genesis 45-47

Day 42: Genesis 48-50

Week 7

Day 43: John 1-3

Day 44: John 4-6

Day 45: John 7-9

Day 46: John 10-12

Day 47: John 13-15

Day 48: John 16-18

Day 49: John
19-21, Matthew 28

Week 3: Luke

Focus points:

Luke 15: three parables
(the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son), illustrating the great love
that God has for mankind.

Luke 19: the story of
Zacchaeus; the parable of talents (in Luke's account, a very dramatic
illustration emphasizing the importance of using the skills God has given to us
for His Kingdom work); and the coming of Jesus to Jerusalem, one week before
His death.

Luke 22-23: the trial,
crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus.

Week 4: Acts

Focus points:

Acts 26:17-18: the book
of Acts is one of the most exciting to read in the entire Bible. As such, it is
hard to summarize such an amazing book in a few sentences. Consider the speech
of Paul in chapter 26, verses 17-18, as you reflect back on the book of Acts,
for this is a model of what Jesus would have us do even today. That is, to bring
others out of darkness and into the light.

Week 5: Ephesians

Focus points:

Ephesians 2:8-9: one of
the most compact summaries in the entire Bible about what it is that followers of
Jesus believe. This is an excellent passage to memorize.

Ephesians 4:11-13: this
passage is one of the best summaries of the variety of "jobs" that believers of
Jesus do (v. 11), the underlying purpose of these jobs (v. 12) and the reason
why God views these jobs as so important (v. 13).

Ephesians 6:10-18: an
essential passage for understanding how believers are to actively "equip"
themselves for service in God's Kingdom work. If you have been "employed" by
the King (i.e., you have become a follower of Jesus), return to this chapter
and re-read it whenever you are facing discouragement, disappointment or defeat
in your work for the Kingdom.

Week 6: Genesis

Focus points:

Genesis 12:1-7: the
promise God made to Abraham—one of the most foundational passages in the entire
Bible.

Genesis 27: the account
of Jacob stealing the birthright from his twin brother Esau (with a little help
from his mother Rebekah). It is from Jacob that the 12 tribes of Israel (and
eventually the whole nation) are descended.

Genesis 37: the account
of Joseph, Jacob's eldest son by Rachel and how he was sold into slavery by his
10 older half-brothers.

Genesis 45: the exciting
conclusion of the account of Joseph, and the unveiling of God's purpose behind
the years of his tribulations.

Week 7: Gospel of John

Focus points:

John 3: a profound yet
simple and clear explanation that Jesus Himself gave on the reason that we
should become His follower and how to do so.

John 11: perhaps the most
moving description in the entire Bible about the deep compassion of Jesus.
Here, Jesus is so distraught and moved by the death of His friend Lazarus that
Jesus weeps at his grave. This passage is foundational on many
levels—understanding the humanity and emotion of Jesus, understanding the
perspective that Jesus had in regard to the ultimate fate of mankind (death),
and understanding that death (and disease for that matter) are not in God's
original plan for mankind.

John 15: part of Jesus'
final instructions to His disciples, which is only recorded by John. In this
chapter, Jesus explains the relationship that believers have to God through
Him.

The Great Commission

This is it—the best description of
what the followers of Jesus are supposed to do with their time left on this
planet. In terms of getting guidance on our purpose in life, Matthew 28:16-20
is the most important set of instructions in the entire Bible. Don't
misunderstand—the rest of the Bible is very important in building up many
different aspects of the life of a follower of Jesus, but no other passage can
compare when it comes to answering the question: "What
exactly does God want me to do with my life?" Of course, there are many
different ways that God's will can be done, and the work that God calls for one
believer will likely look very different from the work He calls for another
believer. We must trust (and pray) that the Holy Spirit will "fill in the
details" that are specific to our own situation. But here, let's summarize the big
picture of the Great Commission that
Jesus gives us:

Go: actively go out and
share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. Another word for go is "leave,"
as in leave your comfort zone.

Make disciples: teach
others what God has shown you through your relationship with Jesus Christ and
through the working of the Holy Spirit.

Baptize them: soak them
in their relationship with Jesus so that it transforms their life in highly
visible and noticeable ways.

Teach them to obey all that
Jesus commanded: help them "dig deeper" and continually grow in their
walk with Jesus.

Dig Deeper: Stop and Take a Look Back

Wow.
Hopefully this is how you are feeling as you finish up the Dig Deeper study.

Isn't the Bible an amazing book that you might not have
appreciated before? Have you felt the Holy Spirit "speak" to you and give you
insight during this study? If so, wasn't it exciting and wouldn't you like to
experience more of that? The good news is that you
can! Through the process of this study, you should now feel equipped to
be able continue on your quest for answers. The remainder of this guide gives
you a plan in which you can read the rest of the Bible. The readings are again in
a non-sequential order to facilitate understanding the Bible as you are reading
it.

But before you continue on, let's
learn an important lesson from the book of Acts. While I hope this study guide
has been helpful to you, let me also give you a cautionary note: don't just
take the words in this study at face value—instead be a "Berean." Take a look
at Acts 17:11 to see what I mean:

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the
Thessalonians, for they received the message with great
eagerness and examined the Scriptures every
day to see if what Paul said was true.

Being a Berean means to examine and study the Scriptures for
yourself to see if what Paul (or anyone else) says about God is true. As you
embark on your journey, I encourage you to be a
Berean for the rest of your life.

Part 3: Next Steps

Congratulations! You now
have a basic understanding of the Bible and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. You now should also have more
confidence in your ability to read, interpret and understand the Scriptures and
feel empowered to continue your study of the
Bible. This is exciting because, for the rest of your life, as you continue to
read and re-read the Bible, you will likewise continue to gain a deeper and
deeper understanding of the Bible and as a result, grow closer and closer in your relationship with Him.

The remainder of this study guide
provides you with a proposed reading order to complete the rest of the Bible.
Depending on your reading speed and the amount of time you commit each day, you
can expect to finish the entire Bible between
3-12 months. The important thing is not how fast you read but what you learn during the process—speed reading
through the Bible for the sake of finishing it does little good if you miss the
message.

Like The Basics and Dig
Deeper lessons, the following plans also take you through the Bible in a
non-sequential order, again to facilitate better understanding of the Bible as
you are reading it. Continue your daily prayer that
God give you His Holy Spirit to help you understand what you are about to
read—and expect that you will be wonderfully rewarded.

The Structure of the Hebrew Scriptures

The Law: known as Torah
in Hebrew, which means "instruction;" the Law consists of the first five
books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Tradition states that Moses is the author of the Torah.

Historical books and Prophets:
known as nevi-im in Hebrew, these are the books that contain detailed
historical accounts of the leaders and rulers of the Israelite people. The
books of the prophets must be studied closely with the historical books, since
it was to the leaders that their warnings were directed. The historical books
include: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra,
Nehemiah and Esther. The prophetic books include: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi and Lamentations.

The Writings: known as ketuvim
in Hebrew, these are books of poetry and include: Job, Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs (also known as Song of Solomon). In Hebrew
tradition, Ruth, Esther, Lamentations, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and
Daniel are considered part of the ketuvim, but a better understanding of
the Bible as a whole is gained when these books are grouped with the historical
books.

The Structure of the Greek Scriptures

Historical books: consisting
of the four Gospels and Acts. The Gospels are named according to the author:
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Matthew and John were two of the twelve disciples
of Jesus during His earthly life and ministry. Mark was likely a young man who
was among the larger band of disciples that followed Jesus. Luke was a Greek
physician who came to believe in Jesus through Paul's missionary work. He also
authored Acts.

Letters: as implied,
these are letters written by the apostles, who were the leaders of the group of
believers that emerged immediately following the resurrection of Jesus. Most of
the letters were written by Paul, which include: Romans,1-2 Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy,
Titus and Philemon. Next comes Hebrews, the author is uncertain. Finally, are
the letters by James (the half-brother of Jesus), 1-2 Peter (one of the 12),
1-3 John (one of the 12) and Jude, (Jude could either be one of the 12 or the
half-brother of Jesus).

Prophecy: the only
prophetic book of the Bible is Revelation, which tells of the return of Jesus
to finalize His Kingdom after there has been sufficient time for all the
nations to have a chance to hear and to respond to the message of salvation by believing
in Jesus the Messiah.

Proposed Reading Plans

The remainder of the Bible can be read and studied by
breaking up into the following subjects:

The Law

Prophecy and end times

Life in the "Body of Christ"

Warnings against false teachers

Old Testament (OT) History:
Conquest–Judges period

OT History: Monarchy period

The writings of David and
Solomon

OT History refresher: David and
Solomon

OT History: Divided Kingdoms
period

OT Prophets to the Northern
Kingdom

Detailed study on the Southern
Kingdom

OT History: Exile and the
Restoration

Post-Exile Prophets

Special books

The Law

The books of the Law describe how
the Creator God called a nation of special servants, the Israelites, and gave
them the task of telling the whole world about Him.
You will quickly discover that the Israelites failed in this task time and
again. Yet God never abandoned the people of Israel, even to this day and He
will still fulfill the promise He made to Abraham in Genesis 12. The books of
the Law lay the foundation for understanding all the historical and prophetic
books of the Hebrew Scriptures and even more importantly, for understanding how
Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) perfectly
and completely fulfills the requirements of the Law on our behalf. If He
hadn't, we wouldn't be able to have a relationship with
our Creator and would remain His enemy (through our own doing, not His).

Here, instead of diving right into
the details of the Law (where the chances of getting "lost" are pretty high),
we start with the letter to the Hebrews, which is the best summary and
explanation of the Law in the entire Bible. The Law
begins with the book of Genesis, but since you've just completed reading
that book, there is no need to repeat it in this study. Then, after reading
Exodus through Deuteronomy, the study is again "framed" by another explanatory
book on the Law—the letter by Paul to the Galatians, which provides a wonderful
way to "stop and look back" on what you've just read.

The Law: Reading Order

Hebrews: a detailed
description of how Jesus the Messiah perfectly and completely fulfills the
requirements of the Law on our behalf.

Exodus: the historical
account of the rescue of the descendants of Jacob from slavery in Egypt in
preparation of the formation of the nation of Israel. The first time the
Creator God makes Himself widely known to the nations.

Leviticus: detailed
regulations for the Israelite people and their leaders.

Numbers: the account of
how the Israelites didn't trust God and as a result had to wander in the
wilderness for 40 years before entering the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy: after the
unbelieving generation died in the wilderness, the new generation had to be
re-instructed in the Law.

Galatians: a letter by
Paul that gives a succinct summary of the Law and how through Jesus, we are
released from the bondage of the Law to live Spirit-filled lives.

Prophecy and End Times

Some events described in both
testaments have been fulfilled, whereas
others events have yet to take place. Some prophecies are obvious in their
fulfillment, such as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, whereas it is
not as clear in other cases. As we read through the Bible, we should not overly
focus on determining if a certain prophecy has been fulfilled or not, but
rather try to learn what God is telling us
through the words of the prophets. Here, we take a closer look at the books of
the Bible that speak directly about end times. The readings are ordered so that
by the time we get to the final book of the Bible, we can better understand the
visions described in Revelation. You will
notice that Revelation unveils and explains many of the mysterious visions of
the prophets, particularly Zechariah and Daniel.

Matthew

1-2 Thessalonians

Isaiah

Joel

Zechariah

Daniel 7-12

Revelation

Prophecy and End Times: Reading Order

Matthew: one of the 12
disciples of Jesus who was of the tribe of Levi. He wrote his gospel to a
Jewish audience, emphasizing how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies and Law of the Hebrew Scriptures.

1-2 Thessalonians: letter
by Paul to the believers in Thessalonica, who had questions and some anxieties
about the end times.

Isaiah: the prophet that
wrote the most about the coming Messiah. Considered second only to Elijah in
importance and prominence of the Old Testament prophets.

Joel: visions of the
coming judgment and of an age when God's Spirit will be poured out upon many
people.

Zechariah: visions of the
coming Messiah and His new kingdom.

Daniel 7-12: visions
given to the Hebrew named Daniel during the Exile period (6th century BC) and are
a prelude to the visions given to John in the book of Revelation.

Revelation: visions of
the end of the age, when Jesus returns to finalize His Kingdom.

Life in the Body of Christ

The Bible and Paul in particular,
speaks frequently of life in the "body of Christ"—the
gathering together of local believers for
the purpose of enlarging the Kingdom of Jesus and to encourage, help and
support one another. This study takes us through the books in the Bible that
speak most directly on the "body life" of
the believer—that is, how we should live our lives as disciples (that is,
followers) of Jesus.

1-2 Corinthians: perhaps
the definitive books on life in the body of Christ.

Philippians: the joy of
having a new life through Jesus Christ.

Colossians: how Jesus is
everything that we need.

James: character traits
of a disciple that truly believes and follows Jesus.

Warnings Against False Teachers

Four of the New Testament authors,
Paul, Peter, John and Jude give specific and detailed warnings about false teachers that try to lead believers astray. When something is repeated so often by
so many different writers, we should take special note, thus the reason why we
have a specific study on this subject. The following letters are very brief,
but packed with powerful lessons. Don't feel the need to rush these short
books, but instead spend some time contemplating and re-reading their message
before continuing on to the next study.

1-2 Timothy: Paul's
instructional letters to Timothy, a young leader in the church in Ephesus
(located in modern-day Turkey).

2 Peter: a prophetic
letter cautioning believers to be ready for the forthcoming day when apostasy
(turning away from God) is common.

2-3 John: very brief
letters warning against false teachers and those that would hinder believers in
their work for the Kingdom.

Jude: warnings about
false teachers that had infiltrated the community of believers and were already
in positions of leadership.

OT History: Conquest–Judges period

After the death of Moses, Joshua
led the people into the Promised Land to
establish the nation of Israel. Following
the settlement, there was a long period where Israel was ruled by decentralized
leaders called Judges. Ruth and the beginning of 1 Samuel also take place
during the Judges period, which is why they are included here in this reading
section. These books set the stage for the next period, where Israel was ruled
by a king.

Joshua: account of the
Israelites conquest of the land promised to them by the Creator God and the
division of the land among the 12 tribes.

Judges: a period of
approximately 400 years when Israel was ruled by leaders called Judges. When
the people turned away from God, their enemies conquered them, but God called
up judges to deliver the people and restore peace.

Ruth: the account of the
family line of King David. Ruth and her husband Boaz are the great-grandparents
of David.

1 Samuel 1-7: introduction
to the Kings period of Israel's history. Samuel was the last of the Judges and
a prophet that God used to select the first two kings.

OT History: Monarchy Period

After the Judges period, three
monarchs or kings ruled over Israel. This period lasted 120 years during which time Israel's wealth and prominence
among the surrounding nations greatly increased. This lesson takes us through
the so-called United Kingdom period of
Israel's history, so named because all 12 tribes were united under the rule of
a single king.

The first king, Saul, had great
potential but his heart did not follow God. The second king, David, was a "man
after God's own heart" and is still today considered the one of the
greatest figures in all of Israel's history. His son, Solomon,
was the third and final king of the United Kingdom period. He started off with
a heart for God, but over time, he drifted away,
which set in motion the events that led to the division
of Israel into two nations.

1 Samuel 8-31: the first
king Saul and the rise of David.

2 Samuel: the rule of
David after the death of Saul.

1 Kings 1-11: the passing
of David, the reign of Solomon, his wisdom and the temple that he built to
honor God.

The Writings of David and Solomon

In this section, we take a break
from the historical books to read through the literary and poetry books attributed to David and Solomon. For this study,
we'll focus just on the books of the Psalms and Proverbs.

Psalms: most of the
Psalms are attributed to King David—74 of the 150 bear his name. Twelve are
ascribed to Asaph, nine to the Korahites, two to King Solomon, and one each to
Ethan the Ezrahite and Moses. The remaining 51 Psalms have no designation. The
Psalms are considered the most beautiful and moving portions of the whole
Bible. They are worship songs (note that the English word song is
derived from the Hebrew word psalm) and many contain instructions on
what instruments are to be played or what tune is to be used. Thus it is no
wonder that believers of the Creator God throughout the ages have used the
Psalms as their source of inspiration for the worship music of their
generation. See a visualization of the beautiful structure of Psalm 119 and how this psalm helps us better understand the Creator God of the Bible.

Proverbs: a compilation
of wisdom sayings, most of which are attributed to the wise King Solomon but
also includes the sayings of other wise men of Israel, including Agur and
Lemuel.

OT History Refresher: David and Solomon

Whenever anything is repeated in the Bible, whether it is the
repetition of a single word, phrase or verse, or whether it is entire
narratives, this is God's ways of saying to us: "pay
very close attention." Thus, before moving any further in our historical
study of Israel, let's revisit the lives of David and Solomon, the two most
prominent and important kings in Israel's history.

The historical account given in the
book of Chronicles is very similar—oftentimes identical—to the accounts we
recently read in the books of 1-2 Samuel and 1 Kings. However, the Chronicler
(and we don't know the identity of the author) makes a special point of
highlighting and commenting on the rule of King David. Recall that it is from
the line of David that the Messiah (Savior) is to come, thus the importance
that God has placed on this period of Israel's history. Don't think of it as
boring repetition, but instead look at the special emphasis
that God wants you to pay very close attention to—having this kind of
mindset as you read through Chronicles will allow the Holy Spirit to teach you
more about God.

1 Chronicles: a
commentary on the life of King David.

2 Chronicles 1-9: a
commentary on the life of King Solomon.

OT History: Divided Kingdoms Period

Among the most exciting and epic
writings in the entire Bible. The remainder of 1-2 Kings tells how Israel
became divided: the Southern Kingdom of Judah,
consisting of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; and the Northern Kingdom of Israel, consisting of the remaining ten
tribes. Immediately, the first king of Israel adopted the Egyptian idolatrous
practice of bull worship and as a result, there never was a ruler out of the 19
kings in Israel that did what was right in the sight of the Lord.

The Northern
Kingdom was conquered around 722 BC by
Assyria and the people scattered throughout
the Assyrian empire, never to return. Non-Hebrews inhabited the land and it became
known ever-after as a defiled land full of idolatrous mixed-bred people. This
region would come to be called Samaria in Jesus' day. The Southern Kingdom of Judah fared only a little
better. Out of 20 kings, there were eight that did what was right in the sight
of the Lord. Nevertheless, Judah too was punished and was conquered by the Babylonians around 586 BC. The
people were taken into captivity and it is here that the Hebrew people became
known as "Jews" which is a shortened version of Judah.

1 Kings 12-22: the
account of the kings of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

2 Kings: the continuing
account, including the fall of both kingdoms.

OT Prophets to the Northern Kingdom

Most of the prophets spoke against
the idolatries and wickedness in both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Hosea
and Amos are two prophets whose message was directed solely
against the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Interestingly, Amos was a
prophet in Judah at the time of his prophecy against Israel.

Hosea: a stinging
indictment against the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Amos: judgment of Israel
is at hand.

Detailed Study on the Southern Kingdom

As mentioned earlier, repetition in the Bible speaks volumes. A
considerable amount of the Prophetic books are directed against the evil rulers
of the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Much of the historical material will be
familiar from earlier reading from 1-2 Kings. Here, we revisit
the demise of Judah and take a closer look at what the prophets of that
day were saying against Judah. This study prepares us for the final historical
portion of the Hebrew Scriptures: the Exile and
Restoration period.

2 Chronicles 10-36

Micah

Nahum

Habakkuk

Zephaniah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Detailed Study on Judah: Reading Order

2 Chronicles 10-36: the
remainder of the Chronicler's commentary on the kings of the Southern Kingdom
(Judah). Note that the Chronicler almost completely ignores the Northern
Kingdom (Israel) except in passing, when they fought against Judah.

Micah: although mainly
directed against the evil kings of Judah, Micah speaks of the impending
destruction of both Israel and Judah.

Nahum: this book is
actually directed against Nineveh and the Assyrians, but is included here in
this study since the events were relevant at the time when the Northern Kingdom
had already been conquered and only the Southern Kingdom remained.

Habakkuk: warning to
Judah of the coming Babylonian invasion.

Zephaniah: warnings
against Judah that doom is at hand.

Jeremiah: known as the
"weeping prophet," Jeremiah frantically warns a hard-hearted people of
Jerusalem's eminent destruction.

Lamentations: a poetical
lament over the destruction of Jerusalem. Attributed to the prophet Jeremiah,
thus it is included here in this study.

OT History: Exile and the Restoration

The day that the prophets had warned of had finally arrived—the kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians.
Unlike the Assyrians that completely destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel
nearly two centuries earlier, the Babylonians were different kinds of victors.
They allowed the people of Judah to retain their cultural identity even though
many were deported from Jerusalem to Babylon
(modern day Iraq). It was here that the Hebrew people became known as the
"Jews" (short for Judah)—from which we get the modern term "Jewish" when
referring to someone descended from the 12 tribes of Israel.

Exile was the most humiliating thing that could possibly happen to
the descendants of Abraham—it seemed that God abandoned His people. But God did not abandon His people and moved in amazing
and miraculous ways to restore a remnant of the people to the capital city of
Jerusalem and rebuild it. The Exile lasted 70 years, and the events of that time, as well as
the restoration are what we will read in this lesson.

Ezekiel

Daniel 1-6

Ezra 1-6

Esther

Ezra 7-10

Nehemiah

Exile and the Restoration: Reading Order

Ezekiel: some of the most
amazingly descriptive and horrifyingly vivid visions in the entire Bible.
Ezekiel spans the events leading up to and including the Exile as well as the
first phase of the Restoration process.

Daniel 1-6: the account
of 4 young Hebrews drafted into the Babylonian court during the Exile; and the
conquest of the Babylonians by the Persians.

Ezra 1-6: the first phase
of the Restoration, where the Persian king allows Zerubabbel to return to
Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple.

Esther: an account of a
Hebrew girl that was chosen to marry the Persian king just in time to prevent a
plan to annihilate the Jewish exiles. If it weren't for Esther, Ezra and
Nehemiah would not have lived to lead the remainder of the Restoration process.

Ezra 7-10: the second
phase of the Restoration, where Ezra returns to Jerusalem to rally the people.

Nehemiah: the final phase
of the Restoration, led by Nehemiah who oversees the rebuilding of the walls
and fortifications around Jerusalem.

Post-Exile Prophets

There are three
prophets to Judah after the Restoration: Haggai,
Zechariah, and Malachi.
We read Zechariah earlier in the study, so we won't repeat the reading here.
Here, we also include Obadiah, even though
his message was against the neighboring kingdom of Edom—distant relatives of
Israelites, who were descended not of Jacob's line, but that of his twin
brother Esau.

The two groups had always been at
war, just as Jacob and Esau were.

Obadiah: punishment of
Edom for their participation in the plundering of Jerusalem in four invasions
documented in 2 Chronicles.

Haggai: rebuilding of the
temple after the return from Exile.

Malachi: a final warning
to the disobedient Israelites.

Special Books

There are four
books that complete our study of the Bible. These books are last because
they are the most difficult or the most widely
misunderstood. Saving them for last hopefully helps us understand them
better than if we had attempted to read them earlier in our study.

Job: an exhaustive and
profoundly enigmatic (much like the subject) analysis of the issue of
suffering. It is almost entirely a work of poetry, making interpretation on this difficult subject even more challenging. See The Book of Job in Color from basics of the bible.org and Ten Principles for Understanding the Book of Job (pdf) for more help in understanding the Book of Job.

Ecclesiastes: a
commentary on the futility of living without making the Creator God a central
part of your life. Read an Essay from basics of the bible.org on the book of Ecclesiates entitled A Time to Mourn and a Time to Rejoice (pdf).

Song of Solomon: beautiful
poetry with sensual imagery that speaks about love on many levels—between a
husband and wife, and between the loving Creator God and His people.

Jonah: the well-known
account of the prophet that was swallowed by a whale, but one in which most
readers completely miss the point. This book is all about the grace of God and
how we as depraved humans, much like Jonah, don't understand what God is trying
to do. Today, we are no different than Jonah was in his day.

Suggestions on Other Reading Material

Before giving some recommendations
on reading material that will help you understand the Bible better, let me
emphasize the primacy of the Bible with
respect to other books—the Bible stands alone because it is the inspired Word of God. Other books may be helpful,
thought-provoking and some can even be life-changing, but don't let them take a
higher place in your mind than the Bible. Be on
your guard (remember the study on false teachers!), for some books may
have an appearance of godliness, but will
actually lead you astray. This is why we
should not let ourselves be overly dependent on other people's commentaries and
opinions on the Bible—and by the way, that includes this study guide! Remember
to let the Bible speak for itself. If we are
open to hearing what the Bible has to say to us, the Holy Spirit will speak to
us and instruct us in God's ways.

With this in mind, I don't want to
discourage you from using helpful tools either. Below are some recommendations
to get you started:

Other versions of the Bible, including paraphrase
translations and Greek word study Bibles. You can even buy parallel
Bibles, which contain several translations side-by-side, so that you can
get a deeper perspective of the Scriptures by seeing different ways that
the original language can be expressed (this is especially useful if you
speak two languages).

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers.

A Bible handbook such as Halley's.

A Final Word

You've begun an amazing journey and
I hope that this study guide has been helpful in getting you started. The
importance of the Bible in the daily life of a follower of Jesus is told to us
in Psalm 1:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the
wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law
he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of
water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever
he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows
away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the
assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

It is my prayer that God will continue to lead
you into a deeper and deeper relationship with
Him through faith in His son Jesus by
the power of the Holy Spirit. As you now continue
on your journey, I leave you with the encouraging words found in Jude, verses 24-25:

To him who is able to keep you
from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and
with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and
authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!
Amen.

About This Guide

Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. Luke 2:14

First edition published in 2008 by Shawn D. Handran. Released
in 2012 under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ or
send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View,
California, 94041, USA.

Dedication: To Osman, who inspired me to make this study guide.

Acknowledgments: I thank Daniel Tu for reviewing and
suggesting the use of high-lighted text (first edition); my wife Debra for reviewing and many
helpful suggestions; and Dr. George Stulac for his theological review.